Tag: soul writing

I mentioned process writing recently in another post but I want to look at it more in depth today. Why? I'll tell you why. Because I've realized that nearly all of my product writing has its origins in process writing. As in, blog posts, articles, and notes for scenes flowing from my pen. As in, I start out in process writing and suddenly I'm in product writing.

But first, a refresher. I'm borrowing these terms from Roseanne Bane, who discusses them in detail in her book, Around the Writer's Block. Reading her book has solidified the efficacy of these same habits in my own life and so I share them with you. Bane says that the path to subverting writer's block on a regular basis takes three forks: process writing, product writing, and self care. Process writing is the kind of writing you do that supports product writing, which is your writing writing. That novel or memoir or article you want to finish. Process writing is journaling, morning pages, free writing, not sitting down with intention to work on your current project. Self care is just that–getting enough sleep and exercise and eating right as well.

It's easy to discount process writing. Easy to think you have limited time to spend on your writing anyway, so why waste it on navel-gazing or rant-filled journaling? Easy to believe that free writing just results in a bunch of meaningless words on the page. But I've learned that none of that is true. Process writing, if done in a deep, attentive manner can be the springboard not only for your product writing but for creative ideas and visions as well.

My process writing occurs first thing in the morning because that's when I like to do it. I feel better all day long if I've written right after I get up. I used to call this habit writing morning pages, but I don't any longer because I like to think I'm going deeper than that. There's nothing wrong with morning pages, mind you, it's just that mine too often devolved into a to-do list or on-the-page worrying about what I needed to get done that day. Yeah, left to my own devices I can get numbingly boring to myself.

These days, I've been practicing a different kind of technique called soul writing, popularized by Janet Conner. I'm not an expert in this kind of writing by any stretch of the imagination and I'm sure that the way I practice it is probably different in some ways than that which Janet propounds. She recommends getting yourself into a theta state by activating the five senses. You've got touch and sight going already with the writing, but you might also want to put on some soothing music and light a scented candle. As for the taste, well, I always have a cup of coffee and a glass of water nearby anyway.

But here's what really makes it work for me: instead of just talking to yourself on the page, you find a higher power to chat with. This can be anything that works for you and may likely come to you as you write. Janet calls hers The Voice. I call mine God, and when I say God I mean the God within each of us and everything on the planet, not the mythical guy up in the sky that wreaks havoc when he feels like it. The other key aspect of soul writing is to ask a lot of questions. What you're doing is opening yourself up the channels for your creativity to come through, and asking questions facilitates this.

What happens to me is I'll ask a question or remember that I wanted to write a blog post that day and suddenly I'm doing it. I'll think of an idea for my WIP and whoosh I'm writing a scene. There's something about this kind of writing, this willingness to be open, that makes the creative juices flow. This post, for instance, was written by hand in my journal a few mornings ago.

So that's my rant on process writing. If you're stuck or feeling blah about your writing, I recommend you try it. And please check back and let us know how it's going. Do you do any kind of process writing on a regular basis? Leave a comment and let's discuss.